NEWS ITEMS
November
2007
November 2007: Tire Energy Corporation has permanently shut
down its Martinsville, VA facility. We have posted the VA DEQ TEC shut down letter
signed in September.
October
2007
Oct. 23, 2007: NEW STUDY
REVEALS ASPHALT PLANT DANGERS
- Today at a press conference in Spruce Pine, the
Mitchell County Citizens for Clean Air and the Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense League released an air pollution study of
the proposed Young & McQueen asphalt plant which shows that
air toxins would be deposited far from the plant site. The League’s
report shows dangerous levels offsite of formaldehyde, benzene
and arsenic. BREDL
Press Release | BREDL
Air Pollution Study of proposed asphalt plant
October 2007: Proposed
Young & McQueen asphalt plant Factsheet - Young & McQueen are proposing an asphalt plant
near Spruce Pine in Mitchell County, NC.
July
2007
July 30, 2007: ASPHALT PLANTS - CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN: An overview of 7 toxic substances released from asphalt processing facilities and their known effects on human health
October
2006
October 25, 2006: Lou Zeller's comments at the
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality hearing on revised permit for Tire Energy Corporation's tire
incinerator in Martinsville, Virginia.
October 17, 2006: Lou Zeller's comments before the VA State Corporation
Commission regarding proposed
coal-fired power plant in Wise County, Virginia.
August
2006
August 31, 2006: Duke Power proposes to triple the electric
power output of its Cliffside plant near Shelby, North Carolina.
The company predicts that emissions of nitrogen oxides will
double: from about 3,000 tons per year to nearly 6,000 tons/year.
Nitrogen oxides are the primary source of ground level ozone, a
pollutant which frequently exceeds National Ambient Air Quality
Standards in many parts of North Carolina. Ozone is a regional
problem; NOx emissions affect downwind counties and states.
Lou Zeller's comments
before the NC Utilities Commission
July
2006
July 24, 2006: BREDL and our chapter Be Safe Not Sorry request NC DENR Division of Air Quality require South Atlantic Galvanizing in Graham, NC obtain an air pollution permit. BREDL letter to NC DENR
The League's July 17, 2006 comments reflect our opposition to North Carolina's pending agreement to allow several paper mills, plastics plants, a chromium plant and an aluminum plant to receive unwarranted exemptions from state and federal regulations limiting pollution which causes atmospheric haze: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Such factories should be required to install Best Available Retrofit Technology, also known as BART, to reduce their negative impact on air quality in national parks, wilderness areas and on public health.
BREDL comments
February
2006
Feb. 11, 2006: Stericycle
Dental Waste Management Plan - Reducing
Mercury Emissions with Title V Operating Permits.
November
2005
The Alleghany County, North
Carolina Board of Commissioners voted unanimously
on November 8, 2005 to endorse a plan to zone
polluting industries and high impact land uses.
The move was done at the request of local
residents led by Alleghany Citizens for
Environmental Safety (ACES) who are concerned
about a proposed asphalt plant locating in Laurel
Springs on N.C. 18. The ordinance effectively
blocks a polluting industry from locating within
2000 feet of a school, day care, nursing home,
medical facility, church or residential dwelling.
The vice president of the asphalt company claims
that the company’s efforts to build are
‘grandfathered in’ because the company
applied for a state air pollution permit.
However, no such right is granted by the mere
submission of a permit application. View the
ordinance that was passed at: http://www.alleghanycounty-nc.gov/ordinances/1-296.PDF
Nov. 5, 2005: Factsheet: Toxic
Air Pollution Levels in Canton, NC from Blue
Ridge Paper Products, Inc.
October
2005
Oct. 20, 2005: Analysis: Asphalt Plant versus Wood Stove
Pollution - Comparing Apples and Hedgehogs (a
household wood stove emits but a tiny fraction of
the pollution emitted by an asphalt plant.)
October 2005: An Overview of
Polluting Industry Ordinances: The Wilkes County
Model
Factsheet: Maymead Inc. proposed asphalt
plant in the Laurel Springs community of
Alleghany County, NC. (Oct.
24, 2005)
(Posted online 10/20/05) 2001 Minority
Report on Fugitive Emissions from Asphalt Plants - This report, submitted to EPA in
2001, was co-authored by BREDL and other groups. (.pdf, 5 MB)
(Posted online 10/20/05) Sept. 15, 1999
BREDL letter to EPA
regarding asphalt plant fugitive emissions. (.pdf)
September
2005
Sept.
23, 2005: APAC: POLLUTING
WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
This is a report on APAC-Atlantic, Inc., one of
the nation’s largest transportation
construction contractors. The League's report
lists APAC's violations of environmental laws and
citizens’ complaints for the asphalt plants
which the company operates in Rutherfordton,
Burnsville, Penrose, Hendersonville and
Morganton, North Carolina. Our report is based on
public records on file in the NC Department of
Environment and Natural Resources Division of Air
Quality. The company’s track record in
western North Carolina reveals a corporation that
shows little care for the health and well-being
of the people who live nearest the asphalt
factories it operates.
August
2005
APAC Atlantic proposed asphalt
plant in the Henrietta community of Rutherford
County, NC.
(Aug. 11, 2005)
April 2005
BREDL chapter members from Group Against
Stericycle Pollution (GASP for Clean Air) joined
David Mickey from BREDL and Kelly Heekin from
Healthcare Without Harm (HCWH) in a face to face
challenge of Stericycle's continued incineration
of medical waste in Haw River, NC. The five
activists traveled to Chicago where they attended
the company's annual shareholder meeting where
Martha Hamblin from GASP presented a resolution
calling on the company to adopt a plan to stop
incineration of medical waste. John Powell,
Heather Bjork, David Mickey and Kelly Heekin
spoke in support of the resolution and cited
Stericycle's recent violations for mercury
emissions.
After questions from other shareholders put
Stericycle management on the defensive, they
became argumentative about regulations and
contracts, and refused any suggestion that
Stericycle should not accept dental waste, the
source of the mercury contamination, for
incineration. Nevertheless, the resolution
received enough shareholder votes to be presented
again next year when GASP will return using
shareholder activism to promote corporate
responsibility.
April 27, 2005: Please check out the Health Care Without Harm
Stericycle Watch webpage to read statements
by David Mickey of BREDL, Martha Hamblin from
BREDL chapter Group Against Stericycle Pollution
(GASP), and other Haw River, NC residents made at
the annual Stericycle shareholders meeting held
on April 27, 2005. Statements from previous
meetings are also there. Excerpts from these
statements include:
| Your "Priorities
for 2005" fail to mention any
strategy for reducing incineration at
existing locations. - David Mickey, BREDL
In my resolution
I ask management and the board to do the
right thing— the right thing for the
public, the right thing for
Stericycle’s reputation and brand
image with the medical and investment
communities, and, most importantly, the
right thing for its shareholders. What is
the right thing? Simply put, it is the
elimination of all incineration of
medical waste not required by law to be
burned. - Martha Hamblin, GASP
One of Stericycle's
stated goals is to move away from
incineration and yet the company
continues to purchase incinerators. -
Heather Bjork, Haw River resident
The company’s
decision to poison the environment in
North Carolina with hazardous air
emissions lies on their shoulders and
their conscience. - John Powell, Haw
River resident
|
December
2004
Dec. 14, 2004: BREDL and GRVAAQC
comments to VA DEQ regarding determinations as to
Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) for the control of nitrogen
oxides (NOx) emissions for Norfolk Southern
Railway Company, Roanoke Cement Company, and
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation (Roanoke, VA
area).
November
2004
Nov. 3, 2004:
Project: Environmental Pollution at Savannah
River Weapons Site |
Date of Project: September 4— 11, 2004 |
Host organizations: Blue Ridge Environmental
Defense League, ISAR Open World Russia Civic
Program | Administered by: Open World Leadership
Center at the Library of Congress. Associated
documents: Risk-Based End States at SRS
factsheet: Radioactive Pollution gets a Facelift.
English Version
, Russian Version | Combat Air Pollution with Bucket
Brigades factsheet. English Version
, Russian Version (documents posted
11/04/04)
June 2004
May
2004
May 20, 2004:
Consolidated Coal Company in Buchanan Co., VA is
seeking to nearly double its permitted VOC limits
just months after being deemed a "High
Priority Violator" for violating the current
VOC limits. VA DEQ will hold a June 1, 2004
public info. briefing and a July 1, 2004 public
hearing. Action Alert flyer
and more details.
April 2004
April 26, 2004: Please write the
NC Rules Review Commission to ask them to oppose
NC Environmental Management Commission’s
exemption for Paper Mills from Hydrogen Sulfide
Air Emissions Limits. Action Alert and more details.
Letters needed as soon as possible. Thanks
April 26, 2004: BREDL and Protect
All Children's Environment (PACE) Action Alert (.pdf)
asking the NC Dept. of Agriculture to require
public notification of ALL aerial pesticides
spraying.
March 2004
Mar. 08, 2004: BREDL comments to VA DEQ
regarding CPV Warren gas-fired power plant air permit, Warren County, VA. (.pdf)
Mar. 02, 2004: Posted notorized transcript of
comments from Feb. 12, 2004 People's Hearing
regarding International Paper-Riegelwood kraft
paper mill. (.pdf)
Mar. 01, 2004: BREDL comments to
NC DENR DAQ regarding International
Paper Riegelwood PSD permit - proposed boiler
upgrade.
February
2004
Feb. 12, 2004: BREDL Press Release - GROUPS HOLD PEOPLE’S HEARING ON
INTERNATIONAL PAPER: Today in Lake Waccamaw the
BE SAFE North Carolina Campaign hosted a public
hearing on the air permits and new proposals for
International Paper at Riegelwood. Speakers took
aim at the recently issued Clean Air Act permit
and IP’s proposal to avoid meeting federal
maximum achievable control technology standards.
IP has proposed to substitute a computer-modeled
risk assessment for federally mandated
technological improvements.
Feb. 12, 2004:
People’s Hearing on International Paper
Riegelwood air pollution permit, risk assessment
and new innovative technology. Hearing will be
held Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 at 7:00 PM in Lake
Waccamaw, NC. More Details: BREDL Action Alert | IP Fact Sheet | Hearing Flyer (Flyer
& Fact Sheet updated with new date)
January
2004
Jan. 27, 2004: BREDL comments to
EPA regarding International Paper
Riegelwood air pollution permits.
Jan. 27, 2004:
People’s Hearing on International Paper
Riegelwood air pollution permit, risk assessment
and new innovative technology. Hearing will be
held Tuesday, January 27, 2004 at 7:00 PM in Lake
Waccamaw, NC. More Details: BREDL Action Alert | IP Fact Sheet | Hearing Flyer (Print out and
pass around)
Jan. 8, 2004: BREDL comments during Title V
permit hearing for Blue Ridge Paper
Public Hearing: VA
DEQ will hold a public hearing on Feb. 24, 2004
in Front Royal, VA on the proposed CPV Warren 580
Mw gas-fired power plant. This facility would be
located 5 miles from the Shenandoah National
Park, a very polluted Class I area. Action
Alert and more details.
December
2003
Dec. 15, 2003: BREDL additional
comments on NC DAQ rulemaking for Hydrogen
Sulfide limits.
Dec. 05, 2003: Earthjustice files
lawsuit challenging regulations published by the
EPA that will allow hazardous chemicals at toxic
waste sites to be pumped into the air without any
control measures.
Earthjustice filed the lawsuit on behalf of the
Sierra Club, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense
League and Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety.
November
2003
Nov. 5, 2003: BREDL's Dr. Rick
Weisler letter to NC
Environmental Management Commission Air Quality
Committee Chair Marion E. Deerhake regarding
acceptable ambient levels for Hydrogen Sulfide.
ALERT:
Public
Comments Deadline - Dec. 15, 2003: NC EMC Public Hearing Nov. 5, 2003 in
Enka, NC regarding hydrogen sulfide regulations
and reductions. Action Alert and more details. Please attend this very important
public hearing!
ALERT:
Particulate
matter standards under review. EPA Nov. 12 &
13, 2003 MEETING in Research Triangle Park, NC.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science
Advisory Board Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC) Particulate Matter (PM) Review
Panel. Public comment period will probably happen
on Nov. 12. | Nov. 12, 2003: BREDL
comments on CASAC review of the air quality
criteria document for particulate matter.
October
2003
Oct. 20, 2003:
Today at press conferences in Asheville, High
Point and Durham, statewide and regional
organizations launched the BE SAFE North Carolina
campaign. Groups from across the state will
promote the “better-safe-than-sorry”
approach to protection of public health and the
environment. The mission of BE SAFE NC is to
protect children’s health and to safeguard
our air, water, and workplaces. Press
Releases and more information on the BE SAFE
Campaign.
Oct. 20, 2003:
Factsheet: Hydrogen Sulfide -
The Human Health Effect of a Toxic Pollutant. (.pdf)
September
2003
Sept 19, 2003: BREDL comments on Title V permit
for Stericycle, Inc, Haw River, Alamance County,
NC (.pdf)
Sept. 16, 2003: BREDL comments on Phase One North
American Regional Action Plan for Dioxins and
Furans, and Hexachlorobenzene. (.pdf)
Sept. 06, 2003: BREDL comments on Title V permit
for Weyerhaeuser Company, Elkin Plant, Surry
County, NC (.pdf)
Sept. 02, 2003: BREDL and WEAG Appeal to Virginia
State Air Pollution Control Board regarding VA
DEQ determination of exemption for W-L asphalt
plant. (.pdf)
August
2003
Aug. 14, 2003: Lou Zeller's oral
remarks at the EPA hearing held at Research
Triangle Park regarding proposed changes to New
Source Review
July 2003
July 29, 2003: BREDL comments on TEC tire incinerator
in Henry Co., VA (in .pdf)
July 25, 2003: BREDL and WEAG cite numerous
flaws with DEQ’s approval of Wythe County,
VA asphalt plant. Groups request DEQ to stop
relocation and re-open permitting process. Read Press
Release | July 25, 2003: BREDL
and WEAG letter to Virginia DEQ Director Robert
Burnley requesting determination of permit
exemptions. (.pdf) | More information
including BREDL/DEQ correspondence, background,
pictures.
July 12, 2003: BREDL Board of Directors passes
resolution requesting a ban on aerial pesticide
spraying in North Carolina.
June 2003
June 30, 2003: EPA Region IV letter to Dr. Rick Weisler
stating that current laws are not enough to offer
"consistent and comprehensive environmental
protection strategy." The EPA letter writer
urges Dr. Weisler to continue his work to
document unexpected disease clusters and
contaminant associations near asphalt industry in
Salisbury, NC.
June 25, 2003: BREDL comments on reopened Title
V permit for Stericycle, Inc, Haw River, Alamance
County, NC (.pdf)
June 16, 2003: BREDL comments on the draft Title
V permit for SGL Carbon in Morganton,(Burke Co.),
NC (.pdf)
May 2003
May 23, 2003: BREDL comments on
the proposed air permit for the Ferebee Asphalt
Corp. asphalt plant in Optimist Park in
Charlotte. (.pdf)
May 18, 2003: BREDL comments on the draft Title
V permit for Duke Energy's G.G. Allen power
station, Gaston Co., NC (.pdf)
May 13, 2003: BREDL
petitions EPA to object to Final Title V permit
for Savannah River Site. (in
.pdf)
March 2003
Mar. 31, 2003: Lou
Zeller's oral remarks at the EPA hearing on
proposed changes to New Source Review | Public
Comment Period has been extended to May 02, 2003 - Check out this EPA
webpage for details on submitting comments
Mar. 31, 2003: BREDL comments on
the draft Title V permit for Georgia-Pacific
paper mill in Big Island, VA. (in .pdf)
Mar. 25, 2003: BREDL comments on
the draft Title V permit for Duke Energy's Belews
Creek coal-fired power plant in Stokes County,
NC. (in .pdf)
March 04, 2003: Dr.
Rick Weisler letter to NC Environmental
Management Commission Air Quality Committee Chair
Marion E. Deerhake regarding acceptable ambient
levels for Hydrogen Sulfide.
February
2003
Feb. 10, 2003: BREDL
letter to NC Environmental Management Commission
Air Quality Committee Chair Marion E. Deerhake
regarding acceptable ambient levels for Hydrogen
Sulfide.
Feb. 5, 2003:
BREDL Slide Show presentation by Dr. Rick
Weisler: Childhood Brain
Cancers Near Asphalt Industry in Salisbury, North
Carolina
Feb. 3, 2003: BREDL and PRIDE
letter to EPA and VA DEQ requesting ozone
nonattainment status for Henry and Pittsylvania
Counties in Virginia.
January
2003
Jan. 29, 2003: Multi-group letter
to U.S. Secretary of Interior Norton expressing
concern over industry pressure to build a
gas-fired power plant in close proximity to
Shenandoah National Park.
Jan. 27, 2003: Multi-group letter
to NC Governor Easley and Attorney General Cooper
requesting North Carolina to join 9 other states
in suing EPA to block weakening of the Clean Air
Act.
Jan. 06, 2003: BREDL files
Section 505 Petition with EPA regarding AEP
Clinch River (Russell, Co. VA) coal-fired power
plant Title V permit
Jan. 01, 2003: Clickable
maps with info about North Carolina's 14
coal-fired electric power plants , South Carolina's 12
coal-fired electric power plants , Virginia's 8
coal-fired electric power plants , Tennessee's 8
coal-fired electric power plants , and Georgia's 11
coal-fired electric power plants. Updated Jan.
2003
December
2002
Dec. 13, 2002: BREDL comments to
VA SCC on application for gas-fired power plant
in Warren Co., VA, within 7km of Shenandoah Nat.
Park. (in .pdf)
Dec. 06, 2002: BREDL additional comments, including
letter from Dr. Peter Rickards on the
unreliability of HEPA filters to control
radionuclide emissions, on the draft Title V
permit for Savannah River Site. (in .pdf)
November
2002
Nov. 22, 2002: BREDL and PACE Press Release - Aerial Pesticide regulators to dump
safety buffer zones! Free Pesticides Coming to
Your Child Soon (posted
online Nov. 3, 2003)
Nov. 21, 2002: BREDL additional comments on the draft
Title V permit for the Savannah River Site. (in .pdf) | BREDL flyer for Nov. 21, 2002 hearing (in .pdf)
Nov. 4, 2002: BREDL Comments on
Title V permit for CP & L Roxboro Steam
Electric Plant in Person Co., NC (in .pdf)
October
2002
Oct. 07, 2002: BREDL
comments on Proposed Rules for National Emission
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Site
Remediation, 40 CFR 63, Subpart GGGGG.
September
2002
Sept. 24, 2002: BREDL Comments on
Title V permit for Weyerhaeuser in Kingsport, TN (in .pdf)
Aug. 20, 2002
& Sept. 3, 2002: BREDL
comments before NC EMC on the proposed rule changes
under 15A NCAC 2D .0506, 2Q .0306, 2D .1109, and
2Q .0526.
(amendments to: Particulate
Emissions, Rules for asphalt plants, Public
participation rules, Volatile Organic Compound
Rules, Permitting Rules, 112j Case-by-Case MACT
Rules and others)
August
2002
Aug. 20, 2002: BREDL
comments before NC EMC on the proposed rule changes
under 15A NCAC 2D .0506, 2Q .0306, 2D .1109, and
2Q .0526.
(amendments to: Particulate
Emissions, Rules for asphalt plants, Public
participation rules, Volatile Organic Compound
Rules, Permitting Rules, 112j Case-by-Case MACT
Rules and others) Final comment deadline September 3, 2002
NC DAQ Calendar Notice
posted at: http://daq.state.nc.us/cgi-bin/cal.cgi?8+2002
July 2002
July 17, 2002: BREDL Comments on
Title V permit for AEP Clinch River coal-fired
power plant in Russell, Co. VA (in .pdf) ; August 26, 2002: BREDL additional
comments from public hearing
July 11, 2002 in Clemmons, NC,
BREDL chapter Triad
Environmental Action joined groups across the
United States to protest Martha Stewart's use of
vinyl in her Everyday product line.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a major source of the
carcinogen dioxin.
July 9, 2002 - BREDL
comments on Virginia DEQ and SCC agreement on
power plant impacts
July 2, 2002 - BREDL and PRIDE
petition EPA to object to Solite Cascade, VA
Title V permit
April 2002
April 25, 2002: BREDL Comments on Clean
Air Act Title V permit for Lafarge Building
Materials, Inc. near Harleyville, SC
March 12, 2002 and
April 11, 2002: BREDL
Comments on Georgia-Pacific Corporation - Holly
Hill, South Carolina Fiberboard Plant Clean Air
Act Title V permit ,
pictures: Georgia-Pacific
Corporation-Holly Hill
March 2002
March 19, 2002: BREDL and PRIDE comments on PSD
permit for 1100 Mw Henry County/Cogentrix
gas-fired power plant in Henry Co. Virginia. (in .pdf) Update: Air permit has been withdrawn as of
August 1, 2003 according to Virginia DEQ website
- http://www.deq.state.va.us/air/cogens/proposedpl.html
March 8, 2002: The Blue
Ridge Environmental Defense League
Bethel-Cullasaja community health survey report.
The Bethel-Cullasaja community is the site of an
asphalt plant permitted to produce 180 tons/hour
and 100,000 tons/year of paving asphalt.
March 8, 2002: The Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense released a study showing
the adverse impacts on property values and
quality of life around an asphalt plant in
Pineola, North Carolina.
February 2002
Feb. 20, 2002 - BREDL
comments on Savannah River Site, Aiken SC Title V
permit (in .pdf)
January 2002
Jan. 22, 2002 - BREDL comments to NC EMC
regarding proposed DAQ Rule
Changes under 15 A NCAC 2D .1200 and 2Q .0700.
Jan. 18, 2002 - Public
Comment period extended 30 days on Savannah River
Site Title V permit. More info soon. For
more info contact: Mr. Robert J. Brown, Jr.,
Assistant Director, Engineering Services
Division, SCDHEC, Bureau of Air Quality ph:
803-898-4105.
Jan. 17, 2002 - Jan. 17, 2002 -BREDL
comments to EPA Region IV regarding New
Source Review rules under the Clean Air Act ,
BREDL
comments to EPA Region III regarding New
Source Review rules under the Clean Air Act ,
Read Jan.
17, 2002 Virginia Press Advisory
Jan. 15, 2002 - BREDL comments on
Stericycle, Inc, Haw River, Alamance County, NC
Title V permit
December 2001
Dec. 03, 2001: BREDL
comments on Trigen
Biopower– North Cove, McDowell
County Title V permit
November 2001
Nov. 20, 2001:
Citizens meet to oppose Wedlake Plant. BREDL Press Release ; PVC Fact Sheet
Nov. 5, 2001 - BREDL
comments on Solite Corp. Cascade, Virginia Title
V permit
October 2001
Oct. 25, 2001 - BREDL comments
on Title V permit for Southern States Chemical in
Wilmington, NC
August 2001
Aug. 21, 2001: Today in testimony
before the US Environmental Protection Agency in
Arlington, Virginia, representatives of the Blue
Ridge Environmental Defense League told federal
officials to close the loophole for fossil-fueled
electric power plants. The four-state citizens
group called on the EPA to reduce air pollutants
which reduce visibility in our national parks and
which cause thousands of deaths every year. Read North
Carolina Press Release and Four-state
(VA, NC, SC, & TN) Press Release , BREDL Comments on BART
Guidelines under Haze Regs , EPA BART Facts (NOTE: The
EPA will accept written comments until September
18th. To submit comments (identified
by the docket number A-2000-28) contact Ms. Nancy
Perry, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards, Air Quality Strategies and Standards
Division, MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC
27711, telephone (919) 541-5628, e-mail: perry.nancy@epa.gov.
For further information contact BREDL at BREDL@skybest.com
or call 336-982-2691.)
BREDL held a
Bucket Brigade training workshop in
Winston-Salem, NC on Saturday, August 18, 2001.
Volunteers were trained on bucket operation and
how to organize community "bucket
brigades".
July 2001
June 26, 2001 - >>>Posted
online July 16, 2001: Tri-County Paving, Inc. v.
Ashe County (in .pdf format)<<<
MEMORANDUM
OPINION and ORDER granting [59-1] motion for
Summary Judgment, Dismissing plf's amd cmp with
prejudice ( signed by Judge Richard L. Voorhees )
Judgment Volume: 47 Page: 21 cc: attys of record
June 2001
June 22, 2001 - Virginia DEQ response to BREDL's
comments on Glen Lyn power plant Acid Rain Permit
Amendment. (.pdf format)
June 13, 2001 - The
Citizens Against the Asphalt Plant (CAAP) files a
lawsuit on Wednesday before an administrative law
judge seeking to force more controls on Tarheel
Paving Co.'s asphalt plant in Henderson County,
NC.
June 7, 2001 - BREDL's Report
to the Technical Advisory Committee of the
Western NC Regional Air Pollution Control Agency
April 2001
April 19, 2001 - Comments on Glen Lyn
Power Plant Acid Rain Amendment
March 2001
BREDL
Comments on DRAFT air permit for Tar Heel Paving
Asphalt Plant, Henderson, NC (March 12, 2001)
March 19, 2001 - Flyer on Glen Lyn, Va coal-fired
power plant proposed NOx increase. (Public
Hearing April 19) Page
1 , Page 2
March 5, 2001 - Washington (CNN) -- In a defeat
for utilities and industry groups, the U.S.
Supreme Court Monday let stand a federal rule
requiring a number of states to reduce interstate
drifting of air pollution, mainly from power
plant emissions.
The high court rejected without any comment or
dissent a challenge to the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) rule that had been
brought by about 50 utilities, various industry
groups and by eight states.
They claimed the EPA's rule, aimed at emissions
largely from coal-burning power plants that drift
into states mainly in the Northeast, exceeded the
agency's authority under the clear air law to
address interstate air pollution. The greatest
reductions in emissions take place in Midwestern
states.
The EPA in 1998 labeled 22 states and the
District of Columbia as sources of interstate
pollution and ordered them to sharply cut back on
the amount of nitrogen oxide, a smog-causing
chemical, starting in 2003 for some plants.
A U.S. appeals court last year upheld the rule.
It said the EPA properly considered the cost of
air pollution controls when determining which
states should reduce their emissions and the
amount by which each state must reduce its
emissions.
The court told the EPA to reconsider the plan for
three states -- Wisconsin, Missouri and Georgia.
But it upheld the rule for the District of
Columbia and the other states -- Alabama,
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan,
North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
posted March 01, 2001 :
BREDL Comments on
DRAFT air permit for APAC Tennessee Asphalt
Plant, Murphy, NC (Jan. 22, 2001)
BREDL comments on
DRAFT air permit for Smith & Sons Paving
Company, McDowell County. (Feb. 8, 2001)
BREDL Comments at
Public Hearing on air permit for Maymead Asphalt
Plant in Boone, NC. (Feb. 19, 2001)
February 2001
Feb. 27, 2001 - WASHINGTON (AP)
-- The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the way
the federal government sets clean-air standards,
rejecting industry arguments that officials must
balance compliance costs against the health
benefits of cleaner air.
The ruling, a major boost for the federal Clean
Air Act, said the law does not require the
government to consider the financial cost of
reducing harmful emissions when it sets
air-quality standards.
The justices also ruled against industry
arguments that the Environmental Protection
Agency took too much lawmaking power from
Congress when it set tougher standards for ozone
and soot in 1997.
But the court ordered the EPA to reconsider the
implementation of the standards it set for ozone,
saying the agency's interpretation of a section
of the Clean Air Act was unreasonable.
Feb 9, 2001 - Comments on Glen Lyn
Power Plant Acid Rain Amendment
January 2001
Jan. 20, 2001 - APAC-Tennessee
Inc. proposed plant in Cherokee County, NC.
Newly posted
Asphalt Plant Flyer Fact Sheets
Jan. 15, 2001 - Asphalt Plant
Campaign Report: This report gives an update
on BREDL's campaign to reduce toxic pollution
from asphalt plants in western North Carolina. It
includes information about six communities which
oppose existing or proposed asphalt plants.
(including asphalt plants in Pineola
, Boone
, Jefferson
, Cullasaja
, White
Oak Creek )
Jan. 12, 2001 - EPA is proposing
to amend its regional haze rule. 60 Day public
comment period to follow posting in the federal
register. Read EPA Press Release , Download proposed guidelines from
EPA website
Jan. 11, 2001 - I-73 DEIS
(Roanoke, VA to NC border) fails to address
Roanoke's Air Quality. Read BREDL's
Air Quality Report on I-73
December 2000
Dec. 22, 2000 - The Justice Department on
behalf of the EPA has filed a lawsuit against
Duke Energy, charging that eight of the electric
utility's power plants illegally
released massive amounts of air pollutants for
years.
The lawsuit filed in
Greensboro, N.C. alleges that Duke Energy
violated the Clean Air Act by making major
modifications to its coal-fired power plants in
the Carolinas without installing the equipment
required to control smog, acid rain and soot. For
more than a decade, the plants have operated
without the best available emissions-control
technology, increasing air pollution near the
facilities and also downwind of the plants, along
the Eastern Seaboard.
source: EPA press release
November 2000
Nov. 16, 2000 - The
Justice Department, the Environmental Protection
Agency and the State of New York has announced an
agreement in principle with Virginia Power that
requires the company to reduce harmful air
pollution from the company's eight coal-fired
power plants in Virginia and West Virginia,
perform $13.9 million in environmental projects,
and pay a $5.3 million civil fine.
This includes: a phased NOx
emission reductions program commencing with a
55,000 ton reduction (minimum) over the 2004-2007
time period and additional reductions in the
2008-2012 time period. Current NOx emissions are
105,000 tons per year (1998)
final system-wide permanent
NOx emission cap 30,250 tons per year, commencing
January 1, 2013. This represents the elimination
of two-thirds of Virginia Power's 1998 NOx
emissions - a reduction of 75,000 tons per year
of NOx.
Current SO2 emissions of 263,000
tons (1998). Phased reduction in SO2 emissions
commencing with a 100,000 ton reduction in 2003
and concluding with a permanent system-wide cap
of 82,000 tons per year effective January 1, 2013
- a reduction of 68 per cent from 1998 levels.
source: EPA
Press Release
October 2000
BREDL FACT SHEET -
Clean Air Act Title V Permits
Oct. 11, 2000 - Citizens
breathe easy with closure of medical waste
incinerator - Citing numerous problems,
Mecklenburg Co. Dept. of Environmental Protection
shuts down the BMWNC Inc. medical waste
incinerator in Matthews, NC.
Oct. 2000 - North Carolina needs
Guaranteed Air Pollution Reductions: Half
Measures Fall Short
September 2000
BREDL
Sept. 12, 2000 letter to NC EMC regarding ozone
reductions for coal-fired power plants
Ozone mapping -
includes photo showing "plumes" that
are downwind high ozone levels created by the
nitrogen oxide emissions from NC coal-fired
electric plants.
August 2000
August 8, 2000 -
the North Carolina Division of Air Quality issued
a new air permit for the Rhodes Brothers asphalt
plant in Macon County. More info: NC DAQ Press Release
July 2000
Take Action:
Send a letter to Governor Hunt and North Carolina
state policy makers in support of the People's
Plan for Clean Air. DEADLINE
WAS SEPT 1, 2000. Read our Sample Letter
that was automatically emailed to Governor Hunt
with copies sent to Secretary Holman, Chairman
Moreau of EMC and Chairman Deerhake of EMC Air
Committee. Thanks! (updated Sept
13, 2000)
Clickable map
with info about North Carolina's 14 coal-fired
electric power plants
Clickable map
with info about South Carolina's 13 coal-fired
electric power plants
Clickable map
with info about Virginia's 8 coal-fired electric
power plants
Clickable map
with info about Tennessee's 8 coal-fired electric
power plants
July 5, 2000 - BREDL's Draft
Comments On The NC Nitrogen Oxide Reduction Rule.
The NC Environmental Management Commission will
hold a series of public hearings on air pollution
in July.
July 17, 2000 - Comments of Louis
Zeller to the NC EMC for July 17, 2000 Public
Hearing on NOX Reduction Rule
June 2000
June 9, 2000 - Prisoners
Of Our Homes (POOH) holds a press briefing in
Charlotte, NC. POOH called for the shut
down of the BMWNC medical waste
incinerator. Photos
from press briefing.
May 2000
May 18, 2000 - BREDL/NACAP
Press Release regarding air permit At a press
conference in Franklin, the Blue Ridge
Environmental Defense League and Neighbors
Against the Cullasaja Asphalt Plant released a
detailed analysis of the pollution which would be
allowed if the state approves a permit for the
Rhodes Brothers asphalt plant.
Action
Alert: Public Hearing on Rhodes Brothers
Asphalt Plant permit. May 30, 2000 at 6:30 PM at
Franklin High School in Franklin, NC.
April 2000
April 29, 2000 - NC People's Hearing
on Dioxin held in Raleigh.
April 11, 2000 - BREDL's
comments on CP & L's H.F. Lee and Cape Fear
Title V power plant permits.
April 5, 2000 - BREDL's comments on Duke Energy's Riverbend and Dan River
Title V power plant permits.
Action
Alert - The NC Division of Air Quality has
announced the first Title V public hearing on two
Duke Power coal-fired power plants. The
hearing on the Dan River and Riverbend plants
will be on April 3, 2000 at 7 PM in Statesville.
March 2000
March 24, 2000 - BREDL's comments
to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection regarding Ozone Transport
Reduction. Press
Advisory
March 16, 2000 - The Great Smoky Mountains
National Park registers its earliest bad ozone
day on March 8, 2000.
March 9, 2000 - Neighbors
Against the Cullasaja Asphalt Plant (NACAP)
reports an Asphalt Plant was stopped in Franklin
NC. The Environmental Management Commission
voted to deny the air quality permit to Rhodes
Brothers Paving Company in the floodplain of the
Cullasaja River (Macon County).
March 9, 2000 - NCDENR
Press Release - A state environmental panel
voted to hold public hearings on proposed rules
for curbing emissions from power plants, despite
uncertainties resulting from a recent federal
court ruling on air quality regulations.
March 07, 2000 - BREDL
letter to NC DAQ regarding air permit upgrade for
Corning, Inc. in Cabarrus County.
- Action Alert
- Please write DAQ to request a public
hearing/comment period for Corning, Inc. air
permit upgrade which increases the Cabarrus
County plant's pollution by 96%.
March 03, 2000 - Federal Appeals Court Upholds EPA Air
Pollution Ruling. 19
states including North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, & Tennessee will have to curtail
smog-causing chemicals from power plants.
Action Alert -
Update: March 9, 2000 - A Public
Hearing was held on March 9 at the Elkin
Elementary School. You may still
send comments. Deadline March 24, 2000. Thanks
for your calls and letters which led to the
public hearing. Request
for a public hearing on the air permit upgrade
for the Carl Rose and Sons Asphalt Plant near
Elkin, NC. TELEPHONE CALLS, LETTERS, AND E-MAILS
ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE
UPGRADE.
February 2000
Feb 14, 2000 - BREDL
letter regarding NC Title V Air Permit for
Steelcase, Inc. in Fletcher, NC
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